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Macroalgae are known as abundant sources of phytochemicals, which offer a plethora of beneficial biological properties. Besides being the most notable classes of compounds found in macroalgae, phlorotannins, bromophenols, and terpenoids comprise some of the most relevant for their biological properties. Phlorotannins, mainly prevalent in brown algae and structurally characterized as complex polyphenolic compounds derived from phloroglucinol units, possess robust antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and cytotoxic activities, modulated by factors such as the degree of polymerization and environmental conditions. Bromophenols, halogenated compounds found in algae and other marine organisms, exhibit significant antioxidant and antiviral properties. Their diverse structures and bromination patterns contribute to their potential as therapeutic and chemical defense agents. Pigments (chemically described as primary terpenoids) play a critical role in light absorption and energy transfer in macroalgae and are divided into three main groups: (i) carotenoids, which are primarily found in brown algae and provide photoprotective and antioxidant benefits; (ii) chlorophylls, known for facilitating the conversion of light into biological energy; and (iii) phycobilins, which are mostly found in red algae and play important roles in light absorption and energy transfer, besides providing remarkable health benefits. Finally, secondary terpenoids, which are particularly abundant in red algae (e.g., the Rhodomelaceae family) are central to cellular interactions and exhibit significant antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties. This study represents a detailed analysis of the biosynthesis, structural diversity, and biological activities of these macroalgae metabolites, emphasizing their potential biological properties.

In recent years, consumers have been increasingly interested in natural, healthier, functional foods, with a focus on sea-based products such as algae. Bifurcaria bifurcata (BB) is a macroalga that belongs to the Phaeophyceae class. These brown algae are recognized as the source of bioactive molecules of great interest to the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. The present work applied response surface methodology to optimize the microwave-assisted extraction of the poorly studied algae. The optimization variables were time, pressure, and solvent composition (ethanol/water) and the response parameters selected were yield, total phenolic and flavonoid content, and the antioxidant profile by evaluating DPPH•+, ABTS•+ scavenging activity, and β-carotene discoloration capacity. The results obtained reveal remarkable bioactivity of the crude extract of BB with positive results as an antioxidant and antimicrobial agent. Furthermore, the BB extract’s capacity to inhibit enzymes related to neurodegenerative diseases and its anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferation activity open the possibility of future food or pharmaceutical applications.

Sargassum muticum (SM) poses a serious environmental issue since it is a fast-expanding invasive species occupying key areas of the European shoreline, disrupting the autochthonous algae species, and disturbing the ecosystem. This problem has concerned the general population and the scientific community. Nevertheless, as macroalgae are recognized as a source of bioactive molecules, the abundance of SM presents an opportunity as a raw material. In this work, response surface methodology (RSM) was applied as a tool for the optimization of the extraction of bioactive compounds from SM by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). Five different parameters were used as target functions: yield, total phenolic content (TPC); and the antioxidant measurements of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), and β-carotene bleaching (BC). After the optimal extraction conditions were determined (time = 14.00 min; pressure = 11.03 bar; ethanol = 33.31%), the chemical composition and bioactivity of the optimum extract was evaluated to appraise its antioxidant capability to scavenge reactive species and as a potential antibacterial, antidiabetic, antiproliferation, and neuroprotective agent. The results lead to the conclusion that MAE crude extract has bioactive properties, being especially active as an antiproliferation agent and as a nitric oxide and superoxide radical scavenger.

In recent years, the search for novel natural-based ingredients by food and related industries has sparked extensive research aimed at discovering new sources of functional molecules. Camellia japonica, traditionally known as an ornamental plant, has gained attention due to its diverse array of bioactive compounds with potential industrial applications. Although C. japonica flowers are edible, their phytochemical profile has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, a phenolic profile screening through an HPLC–ESI-QQQ-MS/MS approach was applied to C. japonica flower extracts, revealing a total of 36 compounds, including anthocyanins, curcuminoids, dihydrochalcones, dihydroflavonols, flavonols, flavones, hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, isoflavonoids, stilbenes, and tyrosols. Following extract profiling, their bioactivity was assessed by means of in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and neuroprotective activities. The results showed a multifaceted high correlation of phenolic compounds with all the tested bioactivities according to Pearson’s correlation analysis, unraveling the potential of C. japonica flowers as promising sources of nutraceuticals. Overall, these findings provide insight into the valorization of C. japonica flowers from different unexplored cultivars thus diversifying their industrial outcome.

Current food safety techniques and equipment are struggling to meet the evolving demands of the food industry [...]

Numerous photosynthetic organisms possess bioactive properties, with algae standing out for their distinctive characteristics that attract interest from diverse industries. For instance, the pharmaceutical industry has great interest in features like the neuroprotective, anti-glycemic and cytotoxic properties found in some algae species. Nonetheless, it is imperative to design efficient systems capable of releasing the bioactive compounds present in these extracts. In this regard, nanoparticles have attracted considerable attention across various fields, particularly in drug delivery applications. Lipid-based nanoparticles have emerged as a promising solution, offering numerous advantages. These nanoparticles exhibit high biocompatibility and biodegradability, making them suitable for use in biological systems. Additionally, they possess the ability to encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, thereby expanding their versatility. One remarkable attribute of lipid-based nanoparticles is their ability to cross the blood–brain barrier, a crucial physical barrier responsible for regulating the entry of chemicals into the brain and maintaining central nervous system homeostasis. Overcoming this barrier presents a significant challenge in the treatment of central nervous system disorders. Therefore, the objective of this study is to provide an overview of the latest advancements in the nanoencapsulation of natural extracts using lipid-based vesicular delivery systems.

Oily fish is a rich source of energy, proteins, essential amino acids, lipids, vitamins, and minerals. Among the macronutrients with the highest contribution are lipids, mainly long-chain omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 LC-PUFA), especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Both EPA and DHA play a beneficial role in promoting health and preventing many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and acute myocardial infarction. They also contribute to the prevention of neurological, metabolic, and immune-system-related diseases, as well as supporting body-weight control. Oily fish consumption is also important at different stages of human life, from conception to old age. For example, DHA plays an important role in brain and retina development during fetal development and in the first two years of life, as it positively influences neurodevelopment, such as visual acuity, and cognitive functions. In contrast with the possible health benefits of the intake of oily fish, the presence of certain chemical pollutants, for example, heavy metals, can be a risk for the health of consumers, mainly in sensitive population groups such as pregnant women and children under 2 years of age. The presence of these pollutants is influenced to a greater extent by fish species, their role in the trophic chain, and their size. However, various studies state that the benefits outweigh the risk of consuming certain species. This review will be focused on the health benefits of the intake of three oily fish species, namely blue shark (Prionace glauca), shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus), and swordfish (Xiphias gladius).

Macroalgae, or seaweed, has a long history of use in human diets, especially in Eastern nations. However, the present interest in these species is driven by their remarkable bioactive and nutritional qualities and their significant availability and underutilization, making them incredibly alluring to people following alternative dietary patterns like vegetarianism and veganism. Sargassum muticum, also known as Japanese wireweed or Asian seaweed, is considered edible and has been consumed in some cultures, popular as a soup ingredient in Korea. This brown macroalgae found in marine environments has been introduced in various regions outside its native range, including Europe and North America. Moreover, this species could be helpful in feeding animals or as soil fertilizer. In this study, the nutritional properties of this marine macroalga were investigated. Nutritional parameters such as protein, sugar, and fiber content were analyzed using classical techniques. In addition, its proximate composition was also determined in terms of moisture, fixed and volatile carbon, and ash content using thermogravimetry, and their major minerals, including calcium, potassium, and magnesium, was determined using the ICP-OS technique. In terms of its mineral content, it was found to have a high mineral content (21% of ash), which consisted mainly of calcium (9 g/kg dw), potassium (77 g/kg dw), and magnesium (12 g/kg dw). In addition, this study determined the presence of iodine using ICP-MS, and 106 mg/kg dw of this essential element was quantified in these algae. The results of this study highlighted the potential nutritional benefits of the tested marine algae. Their composition revealed significant concentrations of vital elements, making them highly advantageous for human/animal dietary requirements with possible health benefits.

Food safety is one of the most contemporary subjects under the scope of the scientific community since it is a fundamental issue for the general population. The desire to use a simple, inexpensive, easy-to-read package freshness-indicator led to a multitude of proposals for package real-time sensors for food freshness indicators. The sensors’ design strategy is to target a physical or chemical modification that occurs by the spoiling process, such as changes in temperature, moisture, or the detection of foodborne pathogens. One of the most common approaches is evaluating changes in pH, since a significant amount of food spoilage occurs with significant alterations (e.g., acidity increases on dairy products). However, some safety concerns emerge from the use of complex artificial chemical molecules such as pH indicators in active labels/packages for food. Naturally occurring anthocyanins are a safe alternative to classic pH indicators and have been applied as sensitive molecules for pH changes aimed at the development of active labels and active packing for food. This proposal briefly reviews the latest scientific contributions on the application of anthocyanins in food spoilage sensors.

Citrus, a genus of flowering plants in the Rutaceae family, holds substantial market importance as a crop worldwide. After prolonged periods of breeding and extensive hybridization, numerous species have emerged, each possessing a unique metabolism that produces a diverse array of secondary metabolites. It is important to note that phenolic compounds, in particular phenols and flavonoids, are among the most important secondary metabolites in Citrus flowers. These chemical compositions of Citrus flowers differ depending on various factors, such as variety, fruit maturity, environmental conditions, storage conditions, and extraction methods. Nevertheless, phenolic compounds extracted from Citrus flowers are well-recognized for their bioavailability characteristics and exhibit numerous health-promoting effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antibacterial activities in humans. The information contained in this document provides a comprehensive summary of the latest investigations conducted on the subject matter. The aim is to thoroughly comprehend the biological functions of the bioactive compounds in the Citrus flowers and their potential impacts on various biological systems, shedding light on their potential therapeutic applications.

In the past years, consumers have increased their interest in buying healthier food products, rejecting those products with more additives and giving preference to the fresh ones. Moreover, the current environmental situation has made society more aware of the importance of reducing the production of plastic and food waste. In this way and considering the food industry’s need to reduce food spoilage along the food chain, edible coatings have been considered eco-friendly food packaging that can replace traditional plastic packaging, providing an improvement in the product’s shelf life. Edible coatings are thin layers applied straight onto the food material’s surface that are made of biopolymers that usually incorporate other elements, such as nanoparticles or essential oils, to improve their physicochemical properties. These materials must provide a barrier that can prevent the passage of water vapor and other gasses, microbial growth, moisture loss, and oxidation so shelf life can be extended. The aim of this review was to compile the current data available to give a global vision of the formulation process and the different ways to improve the characteristics of the coats applied to both fruits and vegetables. In this way, the suitability of compounds in by-products produced in the food industry chain were also considered for edible coating production.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is a non-conventional extraction technique that can be used in the food industry because it can recover both polar and non-polar compounds. This technique is carried out above the critical point of the extraction solvent, allowing for the control and manipulation of different properties, such as diffusivity, viscosity, and density. This is possible due to the fluid’s changes in pressure and temperature that cause variations in selectivity and power. This eco-friendly extraction technique has several advantages, including high selectivity due to changes in pressure and temperature, as well as changes in the solvent’s polarity by adding co-solvents. SFE has already been used in the food industry due to the benefits of this technique and its suitability for both polar and non-polar compound extraction. The goal of this work is to compile the most recent data on SFE applications in the food industry, thereby providing insight into SFE feasibility in a large-scale process.

The antimicrobial activity of plants, algae, and derived extracts has been a subject of interest for the scientific community. Algae extracts have demonstrated their potential as a source of natural antimicrobial agents. Because of their antibacterial capacity and low toxicity, algae extracts have been studied as natural preservatives in food and cosmetic formulations. The use of these extracts has the potential to minimize the use of synthetic preservatives, which may be harmful to both human health and the environment. Nonetheless, the use of end-point techniques to calculate the minimal inhibitory concentration instead of creating growth inhibition curves usually leads to an absence of mathematical modeling procedures on the bacterial inhibition behavior of natural extracts. The goal of mathematical modeling is to describe the relationship between the concentration of an inhibitory agent (such as a drug or a toxin) and the growth rate of a population. For this purpose, the data obtained during the growth of six different bacteria in the presence of different concentrations of Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) extracts were recorded over 24 h. Later, the collected data were modeled based on different classical sigmoidal models, e.g., Weibull, logistic, and Gompertz, that were applied to define the critical growth phases and infer the kinetic parameters. The obtained parameters led to the conclusion that the inhibition mechanisms behind the antibacterial effects of the algae extracts are diverse towards different microorganisms. The presence of the extract led to a diminution of the specific growth velocity in some cases such as Staphylococcus epidermidis while in the replication of other bacteria such as Bacillus cereus, the extension of the lag phase was the predominant inhibition mechanism.

Lignocellulosic biomass is a powerful material for producing sustainable biofuels because it can be converted into second-generation clean energy capable of coping with the depletion of fossil reserves and rising energy demands. However, pretreatment is required in the conversion process to overcome the recalcitrance of the lignocellulosic biomass; accelerate its disintegration into cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin; and obtain an optimal yield of fermentable sugars in the enzymatic hydrolysis. Steam explosion technology has stood out due to its results and advantages, such as broad applicability, high efficiency in the short term, and lack of contamination. This gentle and quick pretreatment combines high-temperature autohydrolysis and structural alteration via explosive decompression. So, steam at high pressure (1–3.5 MPa) and temperature (180–240 °C) is pressed into the cell walls and plant tissues for a duration of seconds (30 s) to several minutes (20 min). In this aspect, sugarcane bagasse is a promising feedstock for bioethanol production due to its high cellulosic content and availability. Finally, the pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse by applying steam explosion seems to be a feasible economic option for bioethanol production.

Seaweeds are an underutilized food in the Western world, but they are widely consumed in Asia, with China being the world’s larger producer. Seaweeds have gained attention in the food industry in recent years because of their composition, which includes polysaccharides, lipids, proteins, dietary fiber, and various bioactive compounds such as vitamins, essential minerals, phenolic compounds, and pigments. Extraction techniques, ranging from more traditional techniques such as maceration to novel technologies, are required to obtain these components. Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) is a green technique that uses high temperatures and pressure applied in conjunction with a solvent to extract components from a solid matrix. To improve the efficiency of this technique, different parameters such as the solvent, temperature, pressure, extraction time and number of cycles should be carefully optimized. It is important to note that PLE conditions allow for the extraction of target analytes in a short-time period while using less solvent and maintaining a high yield. Moreover, the combination of PLE with other techniques has been already applied to extract compounds from different matrices, including seaweeds. In this way, the combination of PLE-SFE-CO2 seems to be the best option considering both the higher yields obtained and the economic feasibility of a scaling-up approximation. In addition, the food industry is interested in incorporating the compounds extracted from edible seaweeds into food packaging (including edible coating, bioplastics and bio-nanocomposites incorporated into bioplastics), food products and animal feed to improve their nutritional profile and technological properties. This review attempts to compile and analyze the current data available regarding the application of PLE in seaweeds to determine the use of this extraction technique as a method to obtain active compounds of interest for food industry application.

Muscle foods and their products are a fundamental part of the human diet. The high protein content found in muscle foods, as well as the high content of essential amino acids, provides an appropriate composition to complete the nutritional requirements of humans. However, due to their special composition, they are susceptible to oxidative degradation. In this sense, proteins are highly susceptible to oxidative reactions. However, in contrast to lipid oxidation, which has been studied in depth for decades, protein oxidation of muscle foods has been investigated much less. Moreover, these reactions have an important influence on the quality of muscle foods, from physico-chemical, techno-functional, and nutritional perspectives. In this regard, the loss of essential nutrients, the impairment of texture, water-holding capacity, color and flavor, and the formation of toxic substances are some of the direct consequences of protein oxidation. The loss of quality for muscle foods results in consumer rejection and substantial levels of economic losses, and thus the control of oxidative processes is of vital importance for the food industry. Nonetheless, the complexity of the reactions involved in protein oxidation and the many different factors that influence these reactions make the mechanisms of protein oxidation difficult to fully understand. Therefore, the present manuscript reviews the fundamental mechanisms of protein oxidation, the most important oxidative reactions, the main factors that influence protein oxidation, and the currently available analytical methods to quantify compounds derived from protein oxidation reactions. Finally, the main effects of protein oxidation on the quality of muscle foods, both from physico-chemical and nutritional points of view, are also discussed.

The present work aimed to determine the nutritional composition (ash, protein, fat, carbohydrate content and energy value), phenolic compounds, pigments and organic acids content of three typical red algae from the Northwest of Spain: Chondrus crispus, Mastocarpus stellatus, and Gigartina pistillata; as well as their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Furthermore, the present work compared two extraction techniques: conventional heat assisted extraction (HAE) and high pressure assisted extraction (HPAE) to maximize the yield and the concentration of target compounds. Different independent variables were considered for the response study. Time (t) and percentage of ethanol of the solvent (S) were chosen for both techniques and temperature (T) and pressure (P) were used for HAE and HPAE, respectively. The experiments were designed following a response surface methodology (RSM) approach. The obtained results showed a similar nutritional composition between algae samples: low-fat content and high content of proteins, carbohydrates and energy. All tested algae showed good antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Finally, HEA demonstrated to be the most efficient extraction technique. This study confirms the potential of red algae to be part of the human diet as a source of non-animal protein, due to its nutritional content, phenolic profile, pigments concentration and bioactive properties, which proves that HAE is the optimum technique for the extraction maximization.

In the recent decades, algae have proven to be a source of different bioactive compounds with biological activities, which has increased the potential application of these organisms in food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, animal feed, and other industrial sectors. On the other hand, there is a growing interest in developing effective strategies for control and/or eradication of invasive algae since they have a negative impact on marine ecosystems and in the economy of the affected zones. However, the application of control measures is usually time and resource-consuming and not profitable. Considering this context, the valorization of invasive algae species as a source of bioactive compounds for industrial applications could be a suitable strategy to reduce their population, obtaining both environmental and economic benefits. To carry out this practice, it is necessary to evaluate the chemical and the nutritional composition of the algae as well as the most efficient methods of extracting the compounds of interest. In the case of northwest Spain, five algae species are considered invasive: Asparagopsis armata, Codium fragile, Gracilaria vermiculophylla, Sargassum muticum, and Grateulopia turuturu. This review presents a brief description of their main bioactive compounds, biological activities, and extraction systems employed for their recovery. In addition, evidence of their beneficial properties and the possibility of use them as supplement in diets of aquaculture animals was collected to illustrate one of their possible applications.

Royal jelly (RJ) demand is growing every year and so is the market for functional foods in general. RJ is formed by different substances, mainly carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, but also vitamins, minerals, and phenolic or volatile compounds in lower proportion. Major royal jelly proteins (MRJP) are, together with 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), key substances of RJ due to their different biological properties. In particular, 10-HDA is a unique substance in this product. RJ has been historically employed as health enhancer and is still very relevant in China due to the traditional medicine and the apitherapy. Nowadays, it is mainly consumed as a functional food or is found in supplements and other formulations for its health-beneficial properties. Within these properites, anti-lipidemic, antioxidant, antiproliferative, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antiaging, and estrogenic activities have been reported for RJ or its specific components. This manuscript is aimed at reviewing the current knowledge on RJ components, their assessment in terms of authenticity, their biological activities, and related health applications.

Nowadays, cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the world, which has been estimated to cause 9.9 million deaths in 2020. Conventional treatments for cancer commonly involve mono-chemotherapy or a combination of radiotherapy and mono-chemotherapy. However, the negative side effects of these approaches have been extensively reported and have prompted the search of new therapeutic drugs. In this context, scientific community started to look for innovative sources of anticancer compounds in natural sources, including traditional plants. Currently, numerous studies have evaluated the anticancer properties of natural compounds derived from plants, both in vitro and in vivo. In pre-clinical stages, some promising compounds could be mentioned, such as the sulforaphane or different phenolic compounds. On the other hand, some phytochemicals obtained positive results in clinical stages and were further approved for cancer treatment, such as vinca alkaloids or the paclitaxel. Nevertheless, these compounds are not exempt of limitations, such as low solubility, restricted effect on their own, negative side-effects, etc. This review aims to compile the information about the current phytochemicals used for cancer treatment and also promising candidates, main action mechanisms and also reported limitations. In this sense, some strategies to face the limitations have been considered, such as nano-based formulations to improve solubility or chemical modification to reduce toxicity. In conclusion, although more research is still necessary to develop more efficient and safe phytochemical drugs, more of these compounds might be used in future cancer therapies.

The benefits of the food industry compared to other sectors are much lower, which is why producers are tempted to commit fraud. Although it is a bad practice committed with a wide variety of foods, it is worth noting the case of olive oil because it is a product of great value and with a high percentage of fraud. It is for all these reasons that the authenticity of olive oil has become a major problem for producers, consumers, and legislators. To avoid such fraud, it is necessary to develop analytical techniques to detect them. In this review, we performed a complete analysis about the available instrumentation used in olive fraud which comprised spectroscopic and spectrometric methodology and analyte separation techniques such as liquid chromatography and gas chromatography. Additionally, other methodology including protein-based biomolecular techniques and analytical approaches like metabolomic, hhyperspectral imaging and chemometrics are discussed.

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is one of the most distinctive ingredients of the Mediterranean diet. There are many properties related to this golden ingredient, from supreme organoleptic characteristics to benefits for human health. EVOO contains in its composition molecules capable of exerting bioactivities such as cardio protection, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and anticancer activity, among others, mainly caused by unsaturated fatty acids and certain minor compounds such as tocopherols or phenolic compounds. EVOO is considered the highest quality vegetable oil, which also implies a high sensory quality. The organoleptic properties related to the flavor of this valued product are also due to the presence of a series of compounds in its composition, mainly some carbonyl compounds found in the volatile fraction, although some minor compounds such as phenolic compounds also contribute. However, these properties are greatly affected by the incidence of certain factors, both intrinsic, such as the olive variety, and extrinsic, such as the growing conditions, so that each EVOO has a particular flavor. Furthermore, these flavors are susceptible to change under the influence of other factors throughout the oil’s shelf-life, such as oxidation or temperature. This work offers a description of some of the most remarkable compounds responsible for EVOO’s unique flavor and aroma, the factors affecting them, the mechanism that lead to the degradation of EVOO, and how flavors can be altered during the shelf-life of the oil, as well as several strategies suggested for the preservation of this flavor, on which the quality of the product also depends.

During recent decades, consumers have been continuously moving towards the substitution of synthetic ingredients of the food industry by natural products, obtained from vegetal, animal or microbial sources. Additionally, a circular economy has been proposed as the most efficient production system since it allows for reducing and reutilizing different wastes. Current agriculture is responsible for producing high quantities of organic agricultural waste (e.g., discarded fruits and vegetables, peels, leaves, seeds or forestall residues), that usually ends up underutilized and accumulated, causing environmental problems. Interestingly, these agri-food by-products are potential sources of valuable bioactive molecules such as tannins. Tannins are phenolic compounds, secondary metabolites of plants widespread in terrestrial and aquatic natural environments. As they can be found in plenty of plants and herbs, they have been traditionally used for medicinal and other purposes, such as the leather industry. This fact is explained by the fact that they exert plenty of different biological activities and, thus, they entail a great potential to be used in the food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industry. Consequently, this review article is directed towards the description of the biological activities exerted by tannins as they could be further extracted from by-products of the agri-food industry to produce high-added-value products.

Tannins are polyphenolic compounds historically utilized in textile and adhesive industries, but also in traditional human and animal medicines or foodstuffs. Since 20th-century, advances in analytical chemistry have allowed disclosure of the chemical nature of these molecules. The chemical profile of extracts obtained from previously selected species was investigated to try to establish a bridge between traditional background and scientific data. The study of the chemical composition of these extracts has permitted us to correlate the presence of tannins and other related molecules with the effectiveness of their apparent uses. The revision of traditional knowledge paired with scientific evidence may provide a supporting background on their use and the basis for developing innovative pharmacology and food applications based on formulations using natural sources of tannins. This traditional-scientific approach can result useful due to the raising consumers’ demand for natural products in markets, to which tannin-rich extracts may pose an attractive alternative. Therefore, it is of interest to back traditional applications with accurate data while meeting consumer’s acceptance. In this review, several species known to contain high amounts of tannins have been selected as a starting point to establish a correlation between their alleged traditional use, tannins content and composition and potential bioaccessibility.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are cyclic oligomers broadly used in food manufacturing as food additives for different purposes, e.g., to improve sensorial qualities, shelf life, and sequestration of components. In this review, the latest advancements of their applications along with the characteristics of the uses of the different CDs (α, β, γ and their derivatives) were reviewed. Their beneficial effects can be achieved by mixing small amounts of CDs with the target material to be stabilized. Essentially, they have the capacity to form stable inclusion complexes with sensitive lipophilic nutrients and constituents of flavor and taste. Their toxicity has been also studied, showing that CDs are innocuous in oral administration. A review of the current legislation was also carried out, showing a general trend towards a wider acceptance of CDs as food additives. Suitable and cost-effective procedures for the manufacture of CDs have progressed, and nowadays it is possible to obtain realistic prices and used them in foods. Therefore, CDs have a promising future due to consumer demand for healthy and functional products.

The food industry is continuously evolving through the application of innovative tools and ingredients towards more effective, safe, natural and ecofriendly solutions to satisfy the demands of the costumers. In this context, natural sources (i.e., leaves, seeds, peels or unused pulp) can entail a valuable source of compounds, such as essential oils (EOs), with recognized antioxidant and antimicrobial properties that can be used as natural additives in packaging applications. The current trend is the incorporation of EOs into diverse kinds of biodegradable materials, such as edible films, thus developing active packaging systems with improved preservation properties that can offer benefits to both the food and packaging industry by reducing food waste and improving the management of packaging waste. EOs may be added into the packaging material as free or encapsulated molecules, where, especially this last option, has been revealed as very promising. The addition of these lipophilic compounds provides to the end-product various bioactivities of interest, which can eventually extend the shelf-life of the product by preventing food spoilage. Pairing biodegradable packaging with EOs extracted from natural agro-industrial by-products can lead to a more sustainable food industry. Recent knowledge and advances on this issue will be reviewed in the present work.

Aroma profile is one of the main features for the acceptance of wine. Yeasts and bacteria are the responsible organisms to carry out both, alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. Alcoholic fermentation is in turn, responsible for transforming grape juice into wine and providing secondary aromas. Secondary aroma can be influenced by different factors; however, the influence of the microorganisms is one of the main agents affecting final wine aroma profile. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has historically been the most used yeast for winemaking process for its specific characteristics: high fermentative metabolism and kinetics, low acetic acid production, resistance to high levels of sugar, ethanol, sulfur dioxide and also, the production of pleasant aromatic compounds. Nevertheless, in the last years, the use of non-saccharomyces yeasts has been progressively growing according to their capacity to enhance aroma complexity and interact with S. cerevisiae, especially in mixed cultures. Hence, this review article is aimed at associating the main secondary aroma compounds present in wine with the microorganisms involved in the spontaneous and guided fermentations, as well as an approach to the strain variability of species, the genetic modifications that can occur and their relevance to wine aroma construction.

Bee venom (BV) is usually associated with pain since, when humans are stung by bees, local inflammation and even an allergic reaction can be produced. BV has been traditionally used in ancient medicine and in acupuncture. It consists of a mixture of substances, principally of proteins and peptides, including enzymes as well as other types of molecules in a very low concentration. Melittin and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) are the most abundant and studied compounds of BV. Literature of the main biological activities exerted by BV shows that most studies focuses on the comprehension and test of anti-inflammatory effects and its mechanisms of action. Other properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, neuroprotective or antitumor effects have also been assessed, both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, human trials are necessary to confirm those clinical applications. However, notwithstanding the therapeutic potential of BV, there are certain problems regarding its safety and the possible appearance of adverse effects. On this perspective, new approaches have been developed to avoid these complications. This manuscript is aimed at reviewing the actual knowledge on BV components and its associated biological activities as well as the latest advances on this subject.

Consumer demand for food of high quality has driven research for alternative methods of food preservation on the one hand, and the development of new and rapid quality assessment techniques on the other hand. Recently, there has been a growing need and interest in healthier food products, which has led to an increased interest in natural preservatives, such as essential oils, plant extracts, and edible films and coatings. Several studies have shown the potential of using biopreservation, natural antimicrobials, and antioxidant agents in place of other processing and preservation techniques (e.g., thermal and non-thermal treatments, freezing, or synthetic chemicals). Changes in food quality induced by the application of natural preservatives have been commonly evaluated using a range of traditional methods, including microbiology, sensory, and physicochemical measurements. Several spectroscopic techniques have been proposed as promising alternatives to the traditional time-consuming and destructive methods. This review will provide an overview of recent studies and highlight the potential of spectroscopic techniques to evaluate quality changes in food products following the application of natural preservatives.

The aging of wines is a process used to preserve wine but also to enhance its properties. It is a process of great interest, mainly because of the additional properties it adds to wines and because of its economic implications. Historically, barrels have been employed for centuries for preserving and aging wine due to their resistance and relative impermeability. In general terms, the wine aging process can be divided into two phases: oxidative and reductive aging. Oxidative aging traditionally takes place in barrels while reductive phase occurs in the bottle. During both processes, oxygen plays a fundamental role as well as other factors, for instance: temperature, light, bottle position, microbial growth or storage time. Likewise, during the aging process, a series of chemical reactions take place influencing the composition and organoleptic profile of wine. At this point, oxidative aging in barrels is a fundamental step. Barrels are directly involved in the produced changes on wine’s composition due to the transference of oxygen and phenolic and aromatic compounds from wood to wine. This way, barrels act as an active vessel capable of releasing compounds that affect and improve wine’s characteristics. Regarding, the importance of barrels during aging process, some attention must be given to the species most used in cooperage. These species are conventionally oak species, either French or American. However, other non-conventional species are currently being studied as possible wood sources for the production of wines, such as chestnut robinia or other oak species. In the last decades, new approaches have been developed for barrel aging to find new alternatives more suitable, affordable and feasible to sanitize the process, such as other materials different from wood or the use of wood chips, which is regulated since 2006 by the EU. However, even though some of them have shown promising data, barrels are currently the most used technology for the oxidative stage of table wines aging.

The scientific community has corroborated the numerous beneficial activities of fucoxanthin, such as its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer or neuroprotective effects, among others. These properties have attracted the attention of nutraceutical, cosmetic and pharmacological industries, giving rise to various possible applications. Fucoxanthin may be chemically produced, but the extraction from natural sources is considered more cost-effective, efficient and eco-friendly. Thus, identifying suitable sources of this compound and giving a general overview of efficient extraction, quantification, purification and stabilization studies is of great importance for the future production and commercialization of fucoxanthin. The scientific research showed that most of the studies are performed using conventional techniques, but non-conventional techniques begin to gain popularity in the recovery of this compound. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and spectroscopy techniques have been employed in the quantification and identification of fucoxanthin. The further purification of extracts has been mainly accomplished using purification columns. Finally, the stability of fucoxanthin has been assessed as a free molecule, in an emulsion, or encapsulated to identify the variables that might affect its further industrial application.

Marine macroalgae are a suitable source of ingredients due to their huge diversity, availability and nutritional and chemical composition. Their high content in proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins, but also in secondary metabolites such as phenolic compounds, terpenoids or pigments, make them great candidates for industrial applications. The cosmetic industry is one of the biggest in the world and the search for new ingredients is constantly growing as the consumer trend now is going back to those traditional cosmetics with a more natural composition. Moreover, the concept of a circular economy is also gaining importance due to the unsustainable situation of the natural resources. Although macroalgae are already used in cosmetics, especially as thickening and gelling agents, they possess an unexplored potential, not only as excipients and additives but also as a source of new active ingredients. In this context, macroalgae are considered in many cases as resources still underexploited and they could even be obtained from the waste of other industrial sectors and be used for recovering active molecules. Therefore, the aim of this review is to compile information about the different macroalgae metabolites and their possible applications in the cosmetic industry, which could employ circular economy models.

(1) Background: Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is responsible for a large part of many health benefits associated to Mediterranean diet as it is a fundamental ingredient of this diet. The peculiarities of this golden, highly valued product are in part due to the requirements that must be met to achieve this title, namely, it has to be obtained using exclusively mechanical procedures, its free acidity cannot be greater than 0.8%, it must not show sensory defects, and it has to possess a fruity taste. (2) Methods: All these characteristics are key factors to EVOO quality, thus the chemical composition of these many health-promoting compounds, such as unsaturated fatty acids (which are also the major compounds, especially oleic acid), as well as minor components such as tocopherols or phenolic compounds (which behave as natural antioxidants) must be preserved. (3) Results: Due to the presence of all these compounds, the daily consumption of EVOO entails health benefits such as cardioprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor properties or acting as regulator of the intestinal microbiota, among others. (4) Conclusions: Taking all together, conserving EVOO chemical composition is essential to preserve its properties, so it is worth to control certain factors during storage like exposure to light, temperature, oxygen presence or the chosen packaging material, to maintain its quality and extend its shelf-life until its consumption.

This study represents the first comprehensive investigation into the phenolic profiles and biological properties of whole Hypericum japonicum and Hypericum sampsonii, two medicinal plant species within the genus Hypericum, revealing distinct chemical and bioactive properties of their extracts. Phenolic compounds, plant secondary metabolites widely recognized as bioactive, were extracted from the dried whole plant of each species and analysed by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS, and the bioactivities were assessed using in vitro methods. The predominant phenolic families differed between the two species, with flavonoids such as taxifolin-O-rhamnoside, isoquercitrin, and quercitrin being the major compounds found in H. japonicum. A total of 30 phenolic compounds were identified in this specie with a significantly higher total phenolic content (TPC = 184.51±0.2 mg/g extract dw) than H. sampsonii (TPC = 59.57±0.8 mg/g extract dw). In the latter species, 17 compounds were identified and quantified, being xanthones such as mangiferin, besides rutin, and hyperoside among the most prevalent compounds in H. sampsonii extract. Additionally, four different classes of previously unidentified anthocyanins were discovered in H. sampsonii, collectively amounting to 303.94±0.3 mg/g of extracted dw. The antioxidant activity assessed using the OxHLIA and TBARS methods yielded values of EC50 that were either equal to or superior to the positive control tested (Trolox). Additionally, the extracts exhibited promising antitumor effects, with particular significance attributed to the remarkable GI50 value of H. japonicum against the human gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cell line (69±2 μg/mL extract). While further research is warranted to generalize the cytotoxic activity, both extracts showed remarkable antimicrobial efficacy, with H. japonicum extract exhibiting minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values as low as 0.007 mg/mL against various clinical and food bacterial strains. Overall, the assessment of biological properties suggests that H. japonicum exhibits greater potential compared to H. sampsonii, likely due to its threefold higher TPC content. These findings suggest promising avenues for future research, including isolating key compounds and exploring these extracts as versatile functional foods and potent antioxidants across different sectors. Moreover, the possibility of developing pharmacological products based solely on concentrated herbal preparations or standardized extracts of Hypericum opens new horizons in natural product-based therapeutics.8,9- dehydrothymol methyl ether, 8,9-dehydrothymol and 8,9-dehydro-4-hydroxythymol dimethyl ether. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]